Michael K. Williams Was an Incredible Talent Who Will Never Be Forgotten
Michael K. Williams was found dead in his New York City home on Monday. The outpouring of love for the man and his work has been incredible as well as heartbreaking to see. Williams gave us one of the best characters on one of the best shows in television history and then he maintained what seems like universal approval long after The Wire ended.
Williams' resume speaks for itself. After The Wire he went on to appear in more prestige television and was nominated for multiple Emmy awards. Too much for most people to keep up with, really. And with his passing, all the great clips that you either missed or forgot existed start to surface. There's this one about his discussing his career with different versions of himself.
Michael K. Williams talking to different versions of himself on getting typecast as a black man. pic.twitter.com/uRowCxU4Tf
— chu (@chuuzus) September 6, 2021
There's this one where Wendell Pierce explains on the red carpet why Williams was so great while Williams just has to stand there and listen.
From my heart, years ago. I said it then, and it must be said now…… pic.twitter.com/qD09DEprw3
— Wendell Pierce (@WendellPierce) September 7, 2021
Williams was one of many actors who landed a role or two on Law & Order early in his career, but he was also able to show up and get laughs in Community's Law & Order parody episode after he was established.
And then there's this. A clip from a 2014 appearance on The Queen Latifa Show where we find out what inspired him to leave his internship at Pfizer to go into show business.
my favorite interview with michael k. williams was on latifah's show (they've been friends since they were 17) and he discussed how janet jackson's "rhythm nation" video made him get into showbiz, then latifah pulled a clip from his days as a backup dancer pic.twitter.com/fwvmJaJcSQ
— Marlow Stern (@MarlowNYC) September 6, 2021
If you had told me this a week ago that Michael K. Williams had choreographed the music video for Crystal Waters' "100% Pure Love," I would have written about it immediately.
It's a shame that only after his death are many people learning just how freaking deep his talents go as an actor, a dancer, and an activist from Brooklyn. The one silver lining is that Williams has left behind a ton of television moments for people to discover for the rest of time, like this clip from No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain who we lost three years ago. Williams will be missed, but he will never be forgotten.